ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʟᴇᴛᴛᴇʀs | Twilight

𝐱𝐥𝐯.

| ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜰᴏᴜʀᴛʏ ꜰɪᴠᴇ |

Hazel stayed rooted to her spot at the edge of the clearing, leaning against a tree as she watched the area Christian had disappeared to minutes prior. She smiled to herself and let out a soft breath, glancing down at her hands. She could still feel a slight hum of energy coursing through her body.

The girl turned away from the trees and proceeded to where Alice, Jasper, Bella and Edward were. She kicked branches and stones as she went, still unable to come down from her excitement at what had occurred that day. Hazel looked up from the dirt for a moment and noticed Bela conversing with Jasper. Curious, she stepped closer to them, just enough to hear what was being spoken, but far enough she wasn't interrupting them if it was important or private.

"Their hunting insting will take over and drive them crazy." Jasper spoke, his gaze locked on a particularly disappointed looking Bella.

Oh. What a lovely topic of conversation.

"Good. I'm glad," Bella murmured.

What?

Jasper nodded with a smile and turned away, but Bella called him back. "Hey. How do you know so much about this?" The brunette inquired.

Even from her distance, Hazel could notice the slight hesitation Jasper made before he answered Bella. Hazel frowned at him.

"I didn't have quite the same upbringing as my adopted siblings," Jasper admitted.

The blond promptly removed his jacket, displaying his pale arms to Bella. Hazel already knew about the scars of old bite marks that littered his skin, though she'd never asked him about them. She watched Bella gaze at them, sliding from the hood of the Jeep to get a closer inspection.

"Those bites are like mine," she gawked.

"Battle scars," Jasper replied. His face fell as he looked down at his arms. "All the training the Confederate Army—" Hazel recoiled at the name, but quietly thanked Jasper for knowing better "—gave me was useless against the newborns. Still, I never lost a fight."

Then they moved away, and Hazel huffed, still wanting to eavesdrop. She moved, then noticed Alice near the place Bella and Jasper were walking toward, watching two butterflies amongst the flowers. Hazel hastily made her way over to the vampire, keeping her ear out for what Bella and Jasper were saying as she walked.

"This happened during the Civil War?" Bela prompted again, looking at him in disbelief.

As much I want to say to let him be, Bells, I'm too nosy, Hazel sighed internally.

"I was the youngest major in the Texas cavalry, all without having seen any real battle," Jasper replied, sounding as if even after all those years, he still didn't believe it.

"Until?"

Jasper hesitated again. "Til I met a certain immortal." He turned his face away from Bella, his expression going cold. "Maria."

Hazel frowned at him. She could feel the air shift, though she was sure she was the only one. She dreaded to know why.

Jasper's voice snapped her out of her dreadful daze. "I was riding back to Galveston after evacuating a column of women and children when I saw them." Hazel swallowed and turned her away from Jasper and Bella.

Finally reaching Alice, Hazel pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. Alice smiled softly but didn't look away from the insects, looking utterly enamoured with how they played between the plants. Watching her, Hazel almost smiled.